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VICTORIA – The allowable annual cut for the Okanagan timber supply area in south-central British Columbia will increase 27 per cent, to 3.4 million cubic metres a year, in response to the mountain pine beetle infestation, chief forester Jim Snetsinger said today.
The allowable annual cut will increase from 2.655 million cubic metres on Jan. 1, 2006, almost one year earlier than scheduled, as a result of the beetle infestation. It is the third allowable annual cut determination for the Okanagan timber supply area under B.C.’s comprehensive timber supply review.
“An allowable annual cut increase helps to mitigate environmental and economic impacts of the beetle infestation,” Snetsinger said. “It can also slow the spread in units such as the Okanagan timber supply area, where landscapes and tree species are diverse and the infestation is at an earlier stage. Forest service staff will continue to monitor the impact of both the infestation and the increased harvesting on the unit’s many forest values.”
Aerial surveys completed last summer indicate about 79,000 hectares of the Okanagan timber supply area have been affected by the beetle infestation, ranging from trace to very severe levels. This is up from about 43,000 hectares affected in 2004. Much of the current harvest in the Okanagan timber supply area is focused on lodgepole pine stands infested by the beetles, or most at risk of becoming infested. In his determination, Snetsinger said the increase should be directed to the highest-priority areas attacked by the beetles to recover losses and speed up reforestation.
The Okanagan timber supply area covers 2.2 million hectares in B.C.’s southern Interior, and is one of the province’s most ecologically diverse management units. Its forests are important for timber, forage, scenery, recreation and water, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife.
The new allowable annual cut maintains a partition of 80,000 cubic metres for small-scale salvage operations that remove dead timber and improve forest health. There is also a new 20,000-cubic-metre partition to encourage companies to recover deciduous species needed by local mills.
In a separate decision, eight licensees in the timber supply area learned today that they will have a higher harvest level within the chief forester’s new allowable annual cut under their innovative forestry practices agreements.
Phil Zacharatos, regional manager of the ministry’s Southern Interior Forest Region, said the harvest level for the eight members of the Okanagan Innovative Forestry Society will increase by a total of 166,100 cubic metres a year. This takes effect Jan. 1, 2006 and continues to 2010, when it may be reviewed. Under the agreements, licensees can be awarded a higher harvest on their licences for innovative forestry practices. This increase was based on improved forest inventory and productivity information.
A copy of the chief forester’s allowable annual cut determination for the Okanagan timber supply area is available on the Ministry of Forests and Range website at www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts/tsa/tsa22/ or from the ministry’s Okanagan Shuswap Forest District office in Vernon or the Southern Interior Forest Region office in Kamloops. A copy of the regional manager’s innovative forestry practices agreements determination is available at www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/ or from the regional office.
Under the timber supply review, the chief forester must determine how much wood can be harvested in each of the province’s 37 timber supply areas and 34 tree farm licences at least once every five years. The chief forester can determine new allowable annual cuts earlier in response to abnormal situations such as the mountain pine beetle, or postpone a decision for another five years if a harvest level is not expected to change significantly.
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contact: |
Chief Forester Victoria 250 387-1296 |
Communications Director Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-8486 |
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Visit the Province's website at www.gov.bc.ca for online information and services. |
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